First Ever Schramm T250XD Heads to the Haynesville Shale.....................................................1

Oil & Gas Industry Veteran Joins Schramm....2

Schramm & FEMCO Announce 24/7 Service Center...........................................................2

Safer, Faster, Simpler: T500XD Helps Meet Demands of Today’s Drilling Market.................3

Service Tips From The Schramm-Man..................................................4

INDepth Innovations..............................................5

API Recognizes Richard Ackerman...................6

Upcoming Events....................................................6

THIS ISSUEInside

quarterly news

INDepth EditorCheryl Zultewicz

Contributing WritersSteve Hanley, Dave Metzger, Kelly Shideler

CorporatE VIsIoN:We will continue our tradition as a privately owned company focused on providing superior drill rigs and services, personalized to meet customer requirements.

sChramm qualIty polICy:The policy of Schramm, Inc. is to meet or exceed our customers’ requirements by delivering products and services in a consistent and timely manner. This is accomplished by establishing a working environment in which training and tools are provided to ensure a safe and efficient workplace; complying with recognized standards; and gathering customer feedback to continually improve customer satisfaction and the Quality Management System.

V4 • Issue 2 • Fall 2014

First Ever schramm t250XD heads to the haynesville shale

This September, Keithville Well Drilling, a private,

louisiana-based drilling company, announced it has purchased and accepted delivery of the Schramm T250XD, a new, land-based rig designed specifically for shale drilling. The company plans to immediately utilize the rig in the Haynesville Shale of North-west louisiana and east Texas.

“ Continued on page 6

New Rig Will Allow for Faster, Safer & More Efficient Shale Drilling

We anticipate that utilizing the T250XD for top-hole

drilling will enable us to safely and responsibly reduce cycle

times, and thus overall drilling costs, while also reducing the footprint of our drilling pads.”

- Jeff Talley, Keithville CEO

View of first ever Schramm T250XD drilling rig’s major components set up and ready to drill.

ket. “This new partnership with FEMCO enables us to further deliver upon that commitment, by allowing us to support our customers located in areas that are critical to our continued success.”

The partnership will pair Schramm’s technology leadership and technical ex-pertise with FEMCO’s local presence and extensive experience in oilfield equip-ment repair and applications support.

FEMCO provides the solutions and technical expertise that helps reduce down time. Their national footprint of facilities and service equipment, fast turn-around-times and more than a half a century of experience ensures they have the right equipment and resources available. FEMCO is a diversified custom manufacturer of quality OEM and af-termarket parts as well as a provider of emergency repair services.

FEMCO is very pleased to partner with Schramm in supporting their equipment in these regions. The techni-cal advantages provided by Schramm rigs, coupled with FEMCO’s nationwide footprint and 24/7 field service, ensure that Schramm’s customers can expect maximum operating efficiency and uptime in these crucial regions of the oil and gas landscape.”- Scott Walker, FEMCO VP Sales & Marketing

3V4 • Issue 2 • Fall 2014

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schramm & FEmCo announce 24/7 service Center

Schramm recently announced a part-nership with FEMCO, an aftermarket

parts manufacturer and emergency repair services provider, to support its customers operating in North Dakota, South Dakota and Texas.

The service centers provide onsite, real-time, 24-hour technical support for local parts, as well as any hydraulic, electrical or mechanical issues. For Schramm cus-tomers operating in the Williston Basin of North and South Dakota, the regional service center has been successfully supporting customers since August, 2014. For operators in the Haynesville formation of East Texas, and various plays located in the Permian Basin of West Texas, the new regional service center will be operational November 1, 2014. These areas represent some of the most active oil and gas plays in the country.

“We stand behind each drilling rig we manufacture and we are committed to supporting our customers by help-ing them reduce downtime in all their drilling operations,” said Mike Dynan, Schramm’s vice president of aftermar-

This fall, Schramm announced that industry veteran Bobby Bryan was

appointed to the newly created position of Chief Operating Officer (COO) based in West Chester, PA. The position was created to manage the increasingly rapid pace of operational demands on the company as momen-tum for its innovative and advanced drill rigs continue worldwide.

Bryan brings decades of oilfield equip-ment and services experience to the position which he gained through a 20-year career at National Oilwell Varco (NOV). While there he served in a variety of capacities worldwide, most recently as Vice President of Business Devel-opment of NOV’s land Rig solutions division. His career at NOV began in 1993 and throughout his tenure Bryan has held a variety of positions from mechanic and service technician to sales manager and director.

oil & Gas Industry Veteran Joins schramm safer, Faster, simpler: t500XD helps meet Demands of today’s Drilling market“With Bobby’s established track record

in delivering best-in-class operating performance in large multi-service land locations and demonstrable success in new technology introduc-tions and large contract acquisitions, we believe he will be a tremendous

asset to our strategy for growth,” said Ed Breiner, President and CEO of Schramm, “As innovation continues to extend the shale boom here at home and abroad, demand for advanced modern rigs and technologies are at an all-time high. We welcome Bobby to this pivotal position and look forward to a long and mutually beneficial relationship.”

“With its world-class innovations and cutting-edge technologies in Telemast® drilling systems, Schramm has proven its products to be a true differentia-tor in shale pad drilling. It’s great to be joining Schramm at such an important inflection point for this industry and the company,” said Bryan. “I’m honored to be a part of this company, with its more than 110-year history of American manufacturing excellence, and to play a role in its next phase of innovation and market leadership within the oil and gas industry” g

Drilling contractors today face significant operational challenges.

Some of the more predominant chal-lenges include availability of qualified personnel to operate new types of rig equipment, pressure from E&P compa-nies to improve drilling performance, and a general need and desire to improve safety at the rig site.

Adding to these challenges is an increasing number of competitors where pricing pressures force a drilling contractor to differentiate themselves from competitors in any way possible. How does Schramm help overcome these challenges?

As an equipment partner, Schramm takes a vested interest in designing drilling rigs, like the T500XD that vault clients to the front of the pack in safety and efficiency.

One key challenge the T500XD ad-dresses along these lines is the avail-ability of qualified personnel. Whereas other rigs require a five person / shift crew, this rig is designed to operate with a three person / shift crew, with two of the crew members operating the rig from the comfort of a climate-controlled driller’s control cabin. Reducing crew size and increasing comfort has helped attract the non-traditional, equal opportunity workforce to consider rig crewing opportunities and has helped retain existing employees longer.

Drilling performance is also improved by the T500XD in several areas. First, this is a highly mobile rig with the

ability to rig down, move locations, and rig up in less than 24 hours, depending on proximity of the sites. Second, on a multi-well pad, the T500XD can walk from well to well, employing the most flexible walking system in the industry. A 72-point directional walking system with wireless remote control gives the rig-up crew a step up in rig-up time. Finally, the auto-drilling and diagnostic system helps the driller drill a better quality wellbore more efficiently.

Safety on the T500XD is also unparalleled in the drilling industry, as the rig does not require crew working on the rig floor. The power catwalk, “loadsafe®XD,” delivers pipe and casing to the rig floor during drilling, tripping, and casing operations. Making up or breaking out connections is managed from the driller’s cabin, eliminating the need for workers on the floor. Addi-tionally, the T500XD requires no worker in the mast, eliminating 16 percent of the safety risks on the rig and improving the work place.

Furthermore, Schramm’s communica-tion and electronic-documentation systems provide unprecedented industry support and compliance for our clients.

lastly, the T500XD rig is rated to drill to 19,000 feet measured depth, has al-ready drilled successfully to 16,600 feet measured depth and has run 9-5/8” 43 lb. casing to depths exceeding 10,000 feet. It is a 1,500 HP equivalent power

rig, yet uses its horsepower far more effectively. The T500XD is smaller than traditional rigs, uses less pumps, hoses and controls than previous generations of super singles and has integrated technologies that make it easy for crews to operate, with support from

zone management, anti-collision, inter-lock and drilling systems. The rig competes directly with smaller AC 1,500 HP Triples yet has a lower invest-ment both during initial purchase and in total cost of ownership when compared to conventional AC Rigs.

Schramm is committed to delivering safer, faster, simpler, innovative drilling rigs that improve the workplace and deliver a better quality wellbore by ad-dressing the issues of qualified people needed, the pressures to drill faster and more efficiently, and the need to improve safety economically.

To learn more about the Schramm T500XD visit us at www.schramminc.com g

Bobby Bryan, newly appointed Schramm COO

“ Schramm T500XD 72-point directional walking system

Schramm T500XD drilling successfully to 16,600 feet in the Utica Shale

Contact FEMCO @ 800-458-3445 or sales@femcomachine.com g

5V4 • Issue 2 • Fall 2014

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4INDepth • Quarterly Newsletter

service tips with the schramm-manDon’t Blow a Fuse Over This But...

Steve Hanley, The Schramm-ManSchramm Technical Support Specialist

After many years of listening to customer comments about

gaining the knowledge to prop-erly maintain and troubleshoot the hydraulic components on their drill rigs, and how difficult it would be to compound this knowledge by adding electronic control devices to drive these hydraulic components, well…the time has come for both you and me to accept and learn how to troubleshoot and maintain these newfangled electronic components they are installing on our drill rigs. After all, this technology is not new; it has been used on comparable mining and construction equipment for many years.

So where do we begin with this new logic? Well, just as the hydraulic diagrams show us circuit connec-tions and components, the electrical circuits follow an identical logic. So let’s start there.

layout of electrical circuits: The layout of electrical circuits and their components are shown as diagrams made up of symbols and connecting lines, just like our hy-draulic diagrams. Being able to read a circuit diagram is important when trying to trace and correct a fault in an electrical system. It shows the dif-ferent components of the circuit and the power and signal connections between the devices. Arrangement of the components and intercon-nections on the diagram does not usually correspond to their physical

locations in the finished device.

Electrical connectors and their function:Electrical circuits require connections to assemble or join the power supply to the desired load. Complex circuits will have switches, fuses, possibly relays, and all the connectors and terminal connec-tions on the live and earth sides of these circuits. Circuits in the rig are subjected to the stresses of vibration, moisture, and temperature change, also the possible corrosion by corrosive fluids and gases. Vibration and movement due to thermal expansion also cause small movements that result in friction between any con-nectors that are simply clamped to-gether. Electrical connections should not be dismantled and reassembled unless it is absolutely necessary, because each movement increases the risk of the fric-tional resistance affecting the quality of the surface to surface electrical contact. You must pay attention to the end plug construction to ensure that any locating keyways are properly aligned before as-sembling. Never apply force to a connec-tor, as this may cause damage to the pins. It should not be possible to pair incorrect connectors/connec-tions together as the implications of this could be most serious, the greatest dangers being short circuits and fire!

Maintaining proper and safe function of these connectors is very important as any corrosion that occurs in or on them can cause a reduction in voltage and thus a system problem due to insufficient voltage in a particular system. Poor connections are often the cause of many electri-cal system faults because a faulty connection can increase current draw and have an adverse effect on system operation. They are generally water “resistant” but not “waterproof” and the use of a pressure washer (particularly if solvents are used in the washing pro-cess) directly on them should be avoided as this can start the deterioration process.

How about the logic side of the circuit? The term “BUS” is used to describe the

and pneumatically systems present on the market. Some have digital interfaces, some are analog, and there are several that are manually oper-ated. Even with digital interfaces, there are a multitude of standards and protocols to contend with.

Integration of feedback and controls across the site depends on establish-ing a common protocol and then building interfaces to each subsys-tem. Drilling rigs such as Schramm’s T500XD and T250XD provide a natural backbone for integration efforts. With all operational data available on a fully digital backbone, these rigs sim-plify the process. Building interfaces usually requires only the addition of modules to the backbone. More com-plex integrations may require retrofit control systems for support equip-ment. In either case, these rigs sup-port the effort by providing control where it is needed without the need for redundant sensors or controllers.

Creating stable and reliable site integration requires analysis, design, and construction. Schramm supports these efforts through engineering services designed to take full advan-tage of the drilling rig’s connectiv-ity. Controls for compressors, mud pumps, MWD, telemetry, and safety equipment are just the start. The capabilities are vast and ensure that each rig will be adaptable to new challenges for years into the future g

part of the circuit that connects several control units or devices together over the same set of wires. Think of this as a highway with two way traffic and traffic emerging onto the highway from differ-ent locations. Access to the highway is controlled by traffic lights (can-bus).

CAN BUS stands for Controller Area Network meaning that the control units are networked and the instructions are exchanged through modules, typically PlCs or transceivers, and input/output connections. The network uses a single small cordset to connect all of the control devices and their sensors to each other. Think of the small cord used to hook your computer or router to the internet. The advantage of this network is that it en-ables a decreased number of dedicated wires for each function and therefore improved reliability, serviceability, and installation. In addition, common sensor data, such as engine temperature, fuel consumption, oil pressure, etc. are made available on the network so data can be shared with the drill functions on one monitor by scrolling through the screen options.

In order to maintain a healthy electrical system there are few items to inspect and maintain on a regular basis just like changing your air filters. Consider the environment you are working in and adjust your time intervals accordingly. Just like the other circuits on your drill

INDepth InnovationsIntegration ChallengesWritten by: Dave Metzger, Schramm Software Engineer

A typical oil and gas drilling site is loaded with a diverse array of

equipment to support drilling opera-tions. Operators know that each piece has a function to perform and all functions must work together correctly in order to achieve the goal. Making it all work correctly can be challenging in the oilfield, where equipment from many manufacturers, often containing unique modifications, must be made to perform consistently under changing conditions.

The task of coordinating the equip-ment falls to the crew, which must learn the operation, maintenance, and troubleshooting of several systems – each with a different set of operating parameters and controls. The stakes are high as failure could lead to expensive downtime or worse.

As the geology of sites becomes more challenging, the need for accurate data and precise control becomes even more pressing. At a minimum, opera-tional data is required for monitoring by the operators and management. And now more than ever, feedback from several systems is used to “close the loop” on controls in order to maxi-mize efficiency or balance operations.

Connecting several pieces of equip-ment often poses a challenge. Each sys-tem may have incompatible controls. There is a variety of electric, hydraulic,

rig, contamination is your number one enemy and must be kept in check. All of your enclosures should be inspected for proper sealing and there are proper locking devices to maintain pressure against those seals. Water, dust, and/or oil intru-sion must be prevented at all cost. Do NOT use compressed air when removing contaminates from the enclosures, as this may cause foreign particles to become embedded in the insulation. It is suggested to use a vacuum cleaner to remove all loose dirt or debris. Make certain that all port connections on the perimeter of the box are sealed and tight to the surface.

I know I am only scratching the sur-face here; however, from my vantage point I can clearly see some advan-tage in using these electronically controlled devices that will eliminate several items typically used in a hydraulic only circuit. Since these items are programmed for specific flow and pressure parameters, we no longer require external compensa-tors, relief valves and flow control devices that added to our previous trouble shooting practices. The fact that the data is sent to a control room monitor, the operator can see almost instantly where a problem may be and what part of the circuit requires attention. Isn’t that easy?

Contact Schramm Aftermarket for questions and/or parts availability at +1 610-344-3144 or email service@schramminc.com g

Electronic Controlled Hydraulic Directional Valve

Programmable joysticks used to send and receive digital information

Charlie Young, Schramm Test Technician, controls major components of a Schramm T500XD

800 east Virginia ave • West Chester, Pa 19380 usa • Phone: +1 610-696-2500 • Fax: +1 610-696-6950 • www.schramminc.com

6 V4 • Issue 2 • Fall 2014

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upcoming Events

California Ground Water showOctober 16th & 17th • Riverside Convention Center • Riverside, Ca

permian Basin oil & Gas showOctober 21st - 23rd • ector County Coliseum Complex • Odessa, TX

abu Dhabi International petroleum ExhibitionNovember 10th - 13th • abu Dhabi National exhibitions Center • abu Dhabi, uae

american Exploration & mining showDecember 3rd - 5th • John ascuagas Nugget Casino Resort • sparks, NV

National Ground Water showDecember 9th - 12th • las Vegas Convention Center • las Vegas, NV

First Ever Schramm T250XD (continued)

This summer Richard Ackerman, Schramm Engineering Standards Manager, attended

an annual American Petroleum Institute (API) Summer Standards Conference in Chicago. While there he received API’s Resolution of Appreciation for his outstanding contributions to the Subcommittee on Drilling Structures and Equipment presented by Mark Trevithick, the Subcommittee Chairman and Roland Good-man, API Upstream Manager.

For the past three years Richard chaired the Hydraulic Cylinders & Hoisting Applications work group, which formed shortly after customers from around the world requested standards for hydraulic cylinders. Dozens of professionals from various companies all over the globe take part in this workgroup. The new content ratified by API participants will be presented when the next edition of API-8C is published.

Please join us in congratulating Richard for his leadership and determination to make a difference in the development of industry standards. In turn, this helps demonstrate Schramm’s commitment to improving safety, product life cycle, and professionalism within our industry g

apI recognizes richard ackerman

“We are excited to begin using the T250XD rig, which we see as a direct answer to our industry’s need for smaller and more mobile top-hole drilling rigs for use in unconven-tional plays,” said Keithville CEO Jeff Talley. “We anticipate that utilizing the T250XD for top-hole drilling will enable us to safely and responsibly reduce cycle times, and thus overall drilling costs, while also reducing the footprint of our drilling pads.”

The electric-over-hydraulic drilling rig was recently unveiled by Schramm at the 2014 Offshore Technology Confer-ence in Houston, Texas.

“We are very pleased with the oppor-tunity to provide Keithville with our most innovative new rig, which was designed to increase the overall ef-ficiency, safety and cost-effectiveness of shale drilling programs,” said Sch-ramm’s CEO Ed Breiner. “As we contin-ue to successfully roll out the T250XD, we are always striving to develop new product offerings customized to meet the latest trends in unconventional shale drilling.”

T250XD features include increased top drive travel, added BOP clearance and an operator’s control room equipped

with Schramm’s proprietary online integrated real-time documentation system Rig-ID™. This web based library enables documentation access from remote operating centers around the globe via satellite or the internet. The T250XD provides 250,000 lbs (113,398 kg) hook load using Schramm’s pat-ented Telemast® technology and is equipped with schramm’s loadsafe® XD fully-automated, hands-free pipe handling system.

Keithville Well Drilling is a privately-owned, drilling and oilfield services company, headquartered in Keithville, louisiana. With more than 50 years’ experience, the company provides conductor, water well, surface and in-termediate drilling services to oil and gas companies operating in louisiana and Texas.

For more information please visit us at www.schramminc.com g